


I Do

by Heather_Night



Series: Priorities [2]
Category: Animal Kingdom (TV)
Genre: Exhaustion, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Misunderstandings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-29
Updated: 2018-12-29
Packaged: 2019-09-29 22:19:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,483
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17211881
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Heather_Night/pseuds/Heather_Night
Summary: Returning to the living room, Deran noticed the absence of running water.  The bedroom door was open, too.  “Adrian?”He started for the bedroom but his cell phone pinged with an incoming text.Getting ride to appt w Chad.  Cul8er.Deran’s hand clenched around the phone.  He whirled and threw it but his aim was true and it struck the back of the couch before bouncing onto a cushion which was what he’d intended because he didn’t want to pay for another phone.  Of course, it came to rest there, face up, so Adrian’s text still mocked him.





	I Do

**Author's Note:**

  * For [allthehearteyes](https://archiveofourown.org/users/allthehearteyes/gifts).



> This is a continuation of the fic Priority but you don't need to read it in order to follow along with this one.
> 
> If you're in the mood for the mildest of angst with a HEA then put your feet up, relax and (hopefully) enjoy this quick romp.

Adrian wandered into the living room, squinting against the bright light. “Where did you go?”

“I didn’t want to wake you up with my tossing and turning. You need your rest.” He moved his hand toward his mouth to begin chewing on another cuticle but he was interrupted when Adrian dropped onto his lap. 

Hard.

The air whooshed out of Deran as the weight hit his stomach but he supposed it could’ve been worse; Adrian could’ve crushed his balls. 

“It’s been two weeks. I’m rested. I see the doctor this afternoon and I’m pretty sure I’m going to be cleared for all activities.” Adrian grinned down into Deran’s face, waggling his eyebrows. 

Deran didn’t know how to feel about Adrian being horny. He knew he wasn’t and maybe that should’ve concerned him but, Jesus, he’d almost lost Adrian. Getting laid wasn’t really his main priority at the moment. 

He felt queasy whenever he thought of the moment he’d heard the voicemails—first one about Adrian collapsing during class and the other about him being admitted to the hospital—and downright bile-creeping-up-his-esophagus nausea when he’d found out Adrian had an appendectomy and he hadn’t been there for him.

Adrian slid off his lap, stood up and wrapped his arms around his chest. Not like he was pissed; like he was chilled.

“Hey, are you okay?” Deran had probably asked that question five times a day and usually Adrian became impatient with him, either teasing him or saying something rude, depending on his level of exasperation.

This time he just shrugged. “I’m going to take a shower, get ready for my appointment.” He looked down at the floor, avoiding eye contact.

Shit. He could see he’d hurt Adrian’s feelings which was the opposite of what he’d intended. “Hey, Adrian, wait.”

Adrian sailed out of the living room and headed toward the bedroom, ignoring him. The door snicked shut before Deran could marshal another response. 

Deran had worried Adrian had been pushing himself too hard. Adrian was self-sufficient and didn’t like anyone fussing over him but Deran couldn’t help himself. This relationship meant everything to him—it was his one source of stability not to mention how much Adrian fucking meant to him—and he was worried he was going to blow it. 

He tried not to panic over Adrian ignoring him. This was just a misunderstanding and once he told Adrian his concerns everything would be fine.

His cell phone rang and he snatched it up, glaring at it. It was Kai; he’d been relying more on the bartender since Adrian’s appendicitis and she’d agreed to accept a delivery at The Drop this morning so he could spend some time with Adrian and take him to his check-up.

“Hi, Kai, what’s wrong?” The bartender never called to shoot the shit with him; if she was calling it was because of a problem. He paced into the kitchen and grabbed a bottled water out of the fridge. 

“The delivery is fucked up. They sent all dark rum and none of the light. How the hell am I supposed to make mojitos or daiquiris without the light rum?” Kai was usually level-headed so the fact she was passionate about this fuck-up clued Deran in to her stress level.

“Let me call the distributor. I’m sure it was just a mix up and they can bring the light rum by later.” Deran had all the phone numbers programmed into his phone and he had cultivated a good working relationship with all of them so when shit like this happened, they were willing to work with him.

Kai sighed. “That’s great but I was hoping to be out of here by Noon. You know I don’t mind pulling extra shifts but I need to do some laundry and, I don’t know, get some sleep.”

Deran stifled his own sigh. “Why don’t you take off? I’ll take it from here. And thank you for doing all this extra shit. I really appreciate it, Kai.”

After they said their goodbyes, Deran retraced his path back to Adrian but he stopped at the hallway when he noticed the absence of running water. The bedroom door was open, too. “Adrian?”

He started for the bedroom but his cell phone pinged with an incoming text. _Getting ride to appt w Chad. Cul8er._

Deran’s hand clenched around the phone. He whirled and threw it but his aim was true and it struck the back of the couch before bouncing onto a cushion which was what he’d intended because he didn’t want to pay for another phone. Of course, it came to rest there, face up, so Adrian’s text still mocked him.

He hadn’t felt this out of sorts since that fateful Thursday morning two weeks ago when Adrian had left for class under less than ideal conditions and had returned two days later minus his appendix.

_Fuck._

-0-

Deran had ended up going into The Drop himself. After multiple phone calls the new delivery with Captain Morgan light rum had arrived. He’d gotten it logged with the rest of his delivery receipts, restocked the bar and put the rest in the stock room. It had taken an extra hour longer than he’d thought it would but now he could go home, talk to Adrian and spend some time with him before he had to be back here.

The side door banged open and Deran groaned; he should’ve locked it after he took delivery of the rum.

“Hey, how come you’re not at the beach?” Craig bounced up to Deran, smiling.

As usual Deran felt like he’d been thrown into the middle of a conversation already in progress and he’d missed some pertinent details. He wanted to snap at his brother but he’d been working on being patient so he took a deep breath before replying. “Was I supposed to be at the beach?”

Craig lifted an eyebrow which usually meant he thought Deran was being slow. “Well, you’ve been glued to Adrian’s side so I thought you’d be hitting the waves hard with him.”

Deran pinched the bridge of his nose. “He’s there now?”

“Yep. He’s with his old roommate, what’s his name? Anyway, Adrian hasn’t lost it, that’s for sure. He still shreds out there.” There were many factors that went into determining who Craig respected and excelling at athletics was one of them. Craig had been one of Adrian’s staunchest supporters, at least until he’d met Linc and went all fanboy. 

“Then I guess I’m heading to the beach.” This time Deran gave into the urge and sighed and it was gusty.

-0-

By the time Deran had made it to the Pier, Adrian was no longer around but he found Chad stowing his gear in the parking lot. Deran made his way over to the other guy and made an effort to relax his posture. Adrian had once shared that Deran’s intensity scared the crap out of Chad and since he needed something from him—information to be exact—he needed to be low-key.

“Hey, Chad, it looks like decent beachpoint peaks this afternoon. How was it?” Deran tucked his hands into his pockets and did his best to look nonthreatening. He even congratulated himself on maintaining an even tone.

Chad, predictably, looked scared out his mind. He snapped to his full height and crossed his arms over his chest, bristling like a little dog. “Um, yeah. It’s good. Caught some good sets.”

Deran decided to dive right in since Chad seemed even more tense since answering his question. “The doctor cleared Adrian for all activities?”

“That’s what Adrian said. He was really excited to get out on the water.” Chad actually seemed to relax a little bit. Maybe he’d thought Deran was going to make some sort of a scene but that wasn’t his plan.

His plan was to track down Adrian and ask him what the fuck he was doing. It was great the doctor had cleared him but he should’ve eased into things.

“Do you know where Adrian is now? I can give him a ride home.” His tone wasn’t as mellow as before and his muscles were tensing.

Chad stepped backward, looking like he wanted to be somewhere else, but he answered the question. “He ran into Tao. I think they’re at Real Surf talking about a job.”

“Thanks, Chad. Take it easy.” Deran walked backward a few steps and he couldn’t help but notice how relieved the other guy looked.

If Chad answered him Deran didn’t hear him. He went back to the van and headed for Real Surf Shop. He had to park down the road but he used his time on the sidewalk to talk himself down from making a scene.

He really was happy Adrian had been cleared but was the guy trying to kill himself? First, he went surfing and now he was thinking about working again? It’s not that Deran had a problem with Adrian working but the plan had been that Adrian would go to school full time before he got a job. Weren’t they supposed to talk about shit like this before making decisions?

Deran definitely felt the tension as he opened the door, the conversation between Tao and Adrian stopping in mid-sentence.

Both men climbed to their feet and Adrian put his hand out. “Thanks, Tao. I need to get going but I’ll stop by tomorrow so we can work out the details.” 

The two men shook hands before Tao gave Adrian a bro thump on the back. “Sounds good, Adrian. Hi, Deran. Bye, Deran.” The guy sketched a quick wave and then disappeared into the back of the building.

Leaning against the wall, Deran crossed his arms. “Need a ride?” He tried to keep things light but Adrian immediately frowned although he nodded his head.

Adrian still hadn’t made eye contact and he walked by Deran, heading for the door. Deran snagged his arm. “Can we talk at home?”

Deran thought he was on edge but Adrian looked brittle, his visible muscles rigid. “Sure.”

Pausing outside of the door, Adrian waited for Deran to clear it and then followed him outside. It was irritating that Adrian stayed a few paces behind him, instead of next to him, but Deran was afraid to say anything in case it set the other guy off. 

Adrian climbed into the van’s passenger seat easily enough and didn’t accuse Deran of stalking him which he thought were positives. The least Deran could do was meet him halfway. “Do we need to pick up your board?”

“No, man, thanks though. Chad’s got it.” It was an unusually subdued response but at least Adrian was talking to him.

Except those words were the last ones out of Adrian’s mouth as Deran drove them home. Instead Adrian stared out the window; Deran would’ve liked to describe it as moodily staring out the window but the truth was Adrian’s face was blank. Suspiciously blank. Like he was hiding something.

Clamping down on the panic starting to churn through his stomach, Deran went to the kitchen and got a couple of bottled waters. He handed one to Adrian and gestured to him to sit down. Adrian sat in the chair instead of the loveseat or couch which meant Deran couldn’t sit close to him.

Clearing his throat, Deran tried for supportive words. “So, it looks like the doctor cleared you. How were the waves?”

Adrian stopped fussing with the cap of the bottle and his shoulders relaxed minutely. He looked up, making eye contact, surprise apparent in his widened eyes and opened mouth. “The waves were crumbly to begin with but then the wind shifted and we got some corduroy swells.” Adrian’s mouth split into a wide grin. “It felt great to be out there. I really missed it.”

Deran knew Adrian had been chomping at the bit to surf again. If Deran had to guess he’d say the longest Adrian had gone without surfing in the last ten years was two days so two weeks probably felt like punishment. “That’s great, man.” Deran’s lips turned upward at the sight of Adrian’s happiness. 

Adrian rubbed the wrinkles between his eyebrows with a thumb and some of his happiness dimmed. “What did you want to talk about?” His focus slid back to the bottle in his hands.

“You should drink that. You’re probably dehydrated after being out in the water and sun.” Deran hadn’t meant to say that but he wanted so badly to take care of Adrian it was difficult to shut up when he saw something upsetting.

Adrian’s lips thinned out into a straight line but he lifted the bottle and dutifully chugged the 12-ounce bottle down. He recapped the bottle but kept it in his hands. “Anything else?”

There was that blank expression again. Deran fucking hated it. Is this what Adrian felt like when he asked Deran a question and Deran wouldn’t answer it? The ironic thing was Deran hadn’t even asked the question he wanted to ask but he knew it wasn’t going to go well if reminding Adrian to rehydrate caused this kind of reaction.

His hand tugging at his hair, it was at moments like this Deran wished he’d never cut it off. Grabbing the short strands wasn’t nearly as calming as the shoulder-length had been. “I’m just worried about you, that’s all. What happened to you was really scary and I wish you’d quit pushing yourself so hard.”

Adrian’s jaw dropped open, his blue eyes stunned pools in his sun-pinked face. He snapped his mouth shut. Shook his head a little. “I’ve been responsible for myself for about ten years now, I think I can see to my basic needs but thank you.”

The thank you didn’t sound dismissive and there was a flash of something—relief?—on Adrian’s face that baffled Deran. 

Deran’s cell phone interrupted the moment and he was going to ignore it but when he glanced at the screen it was Kai calling again. 

Adrian flashed a smile and Deran still didn’t know how to describe his expression except to say he looked relieved. “Work? You should take it.” He didn’t sound bitchy or disgruntled or anything like that. Just…relieved.

It was a good thing he took the call because it turned out there had been a minor grease fire at The Drop. Kai had it under control but Deran wanted to see for himself.

The water in the shower was running by the time he got off the phone so Deran knocked on the door, sticking his head inside. “I have to go in to work. There was a grease fire.”

Adrian’s head poked out from behind the curtain. “Shit! Do you need me to come with you?” 

Deran should’ve been concerned with hauling ass down to the bar but instead he found himself distracted by the flashes of pale, freckled skin on display, barely visible through the semitransparent material. 

Realizing he was basically salivating over Adrian, Deran shook his head. “I shouldn’t be gone too long. Just take it easy or something.”

Adrian frowned but didn’t grumble. “Okay, call me if you change your mind.”

Deran left before he could do something stupid, like climb into the shower and ravish Adrian. It was hard to believe in the preceding two weeks he hadn’t wanted to touch his boyfriend—out of concern—and now that the doctor had cleared him for all activities, there were many activities Deran wanted to do to him.

With him.

He hoped when he got home they could maybe talk some more. Or do other things.

-0-

The next two weeks had been hectic between Deran taking care of business at The Drop and Adrian attending school full time and working at Real Surf when he wasn’t studying. Deran saw Adrian, asleep, when he returned home in the early hours of the morning and Adrian was long gone by the time Deran roused himself. 

They texted one another and things seemed to be fine but this—seeing each other even less than before Adrian’s appendectomy—was not what Deran had been hoping for. 

Deran’s phone pinged, notifying him of a text: _Nap & then in to help_. The text even included the thumbs up emoji even though Adrian knew Deran hated them. 

The Drop had live music tonight and like last time, Adrian had volunteered to come in and help out with what Deran hoped would be extra customers. Unlike last time Adrian seemed to be on schedule to show.

Immersed in the myriad details that went into preparing for more bodies, it wasn’t until Craig and Frankie showed up that Deran realized Adrian wasn’t there.

Again.

Frankie opened her mouth but before she asked, Deran put his hand up. “Yes, Adrian is supposed to be here. No, I don’t know where he is. I’m going to call him now.”

Craig huffed. “Maybe that wasn’t what she was going to say.”

“Of course, it was. Didn’t you know? I’m psychic.” Deran disappeared into the back room before he could get drawn into further conversation.

Once he’d locked the backroom door, he dialed Adrian’s cell.

It rang and rang and rang and rang but Adrian never picked up. It was possible Adrian was in the car on his way to the bar but something niggled at the back of Deran’s mind. 

Emerging from the backroom, he made a beeline for Craig and Frankie. “He’s not answering. Could you—?”

Frankie interrupted him mid-sentence. “Of course, we’ve got it. Go.” 

Craig made noises but Frankie shushed him. Once he knew Adrian was okay he owed Frankie an apology. Or at least he needed to be less offensive to her. She had this whole hippy-dippy vibe going but she was actually dependable, at least when it came to managing The Drop for one evening. The jury was still out on her and Craig as a couple.

Deran kept the phone on the passenger seat so he would hear it if Adrian called.

It remained silent. 

Adrian’s old Suburban was parked in its spot.

Slamming into park in his own spot, Deran scrambled up the stairs and into the house. The lights were off which was odd since Adrian always left something on; he knew that because he always bitched at the size of the electric bill. Fortunately, Adrian wasn’t put off by his grousing.

Flipping on the switch for the living room light, Deran stopped in his tracks.

Adrian was sitting on the couch, head tipped across the top of the backrest, his eyes closed.

“Adrian?” Deran didn’t speak loudly because he didn’t want to startle his boyfriend.

No response.

Deran moved closer, relieved to see Adrian’s chest moving up and down. He hadn’t thought Adrian was dead but he still felt better with visual confirmation.

This time he boosted the volume. “Adrian, time to wake up.”

Again, there was no response. Adrian didn’t shift his position or open his eyes or even change his breathing pattern.

Now that he was up close Deran could see the lavender shadows beneath Adrian’s eyes and his skin, although always on the pale side usually still had a certain glow, was now dull. Even his pink lips seemed washed out.

Deran perched on the coffee table in front of Adrian. He took Adrian’s hands in his own; they were on the cool side but it was reassuring to touch his boyfriend. “Adrian, come on, you’re scaring me.”

Squeezing Adrian’s hands steadily, Deran waited to see if that would have any affect. 

Adrian’s eyelids lifted but he didn’t move any more than that.

Rising to his feet, Deran loomed over Adrian, putting himself in his line of vision.

Forehead furrowing, Adrian whispered, “Deran?”

Some of the panic churning in Deran’s stomach calmed. “Yeah, it’s me. What’s wrong?”

“Just really tired.” Adrian mumbled the words and his eyelids closed. 

Deran wanted to shake Adrian, not only so he could see his pretty blue eyes but so he could yell at him. The yelling was going to have to wait. He was pretty sure he knew what was wrong and it boiled down to Adrian being a dumbass and running himself ragged. If rest and a good meal didn’t fix things then Deran would drag Adrian’s ass to the doctor.

He texted a quick message to Craig letting him know Adrian was sick, would be fine but that Deran needed to stay with him. Craig texted back that he and Frankie had things covered.

Once again Deran found he didn’t really care; he wanted The Drop to succeed badly but he wanted Adrian, whole and healthy, even more.

“Okay, think you can make it to bed if I help you?” Deran cupped Adrian’s cheek.

Adrian’s eyelids popped back open. “Yeah.” This time he seemed more alert and he lifted his head and looked around. 

Deran grabbed his hands. “On the count of three, one, two, three.” It wasn’t nearly as difficult as Deran had worried and once Adrian was upright, he held his own weight. Deran tucked an arm around Adrian’s waist and helped steer him but Adrian walked under his own steam. 

He efficiently stripped Adrian out of his t-shirt and jeans, leaving his boxer-briefs in place. Deran peeled his own clothing off and joined Adrian beneath the covers. It was heaven to hold Adrian in his arms but he wasn’t looking forward to the conversation he’d insist on having tomorrow.

-0-

Deran was making breakfast when Adrian trudged into the kitchen, still damp from his shower. Looking up from the eggs he was beating into submission, Deran arched an eyebrow. “Sleep well?”

He tried not to let himself get distracted by his boyfriend’s beauty as Adrian blushed. The pink color highlighted his bone structure and intensified the blue of his eyes. ‘I’m really sorry I didn’t make it to The Drop last night. How was the band?”

“I actually don’t know. I came home to check on you when you didn’t show up and didn’t answer your phone.” Deran’s tone was even; he wasn’t upset that he’d missed the live music again. He just didn’t understand what was going on with his boyfriend.

Adrian slumped into the highbacked chair at the kitchen island. “I’m so fucking sorry, Deran.”

“You know what? I don’t care that I wasn’t at The Drop. Or that you missed it. I just really want to understand why you’re running yourself into the ground. Can you please explain it to me? Was it something I said or did?” Deran’s voice had risen and he flinched himself at the loud noise.

Elbows on the counter, Adrian thrust his hands into his hair and groaned. “No, of course not.”

Deran set down the bowl of eggs and reached across the counter, touching Adrian’s shoulder. “Then what? What is so important that you’re so exhausted you don’t even hear the phone?”

Straightening up, Adrian blush deepened from pink to red. “I thought you didn’t want me anymore. I practically threw myself at you two weeks ago and you didn’t want me. You always respond! And even if you weren’t going to break up with me, I can’t just let you pay for everything. I’m not some free-loading loser.”

Flinching at the words—really all of the words, but mainly at the last ones about being a free-loading loser which was a quote from Pope—Deran took a deep breath. 

Then it hit him—Adrian had acted relieved on the day he’d seen the doctor and it was apparently because he thought Deran was going to break up with him.

What a dumbass. Adrian was one of the smartest guys Deran knew but yeah, in this instance, total dumbass.

He couldn’t say that though, at least not yet. “I didn’t jump your bones two weeks ago because I was fucking worried after you collapsed and I wasn’t there when you needed me and I promised myself I would take better care of you and the fact you think I want to break up with you really…,” his words trailed off because Deran couldn’t put into words how it made him feel and he was out of breath from the long-assed run-on sentence. 

Actually, he could put into words how he felt but it required him to bare his soul. Fuck it, if anyone was worth putting it out there for it was Adrian. “You know what? Fine, I’ll tell you how I feel. Shitty and worried and how the hell could you think I was going to break things off when you’re the most important person in my life?!”

This time it was Deran who braced his elbows on the counter and grabbed his hair.

A light touch on his back startled him and Deran lifted his head. “I’m sorry. I was stupid. I should’ve just asked and not assumed but Deran, you always want to fuck and when you didn’t…I thought you’d had enough of my bullshit.”

Deran turned so they were facing each other. “Your bullshit? What about all of my bullshit? I should be worried that you’re going to leave me if I follow your logic. But you know what? I trust you, Adrian. Why can’t you trust me?”

Adrian launched himself at Deran and he barely had time to brace himself before he was wrapped in strong arms and hugged tightly. It felt good to hold Adrian while he was conscious. He couldn’t say he’d enjoyed the conversation beforehand but he felt like they’d cleared the air.

“I do, Deran. I fucking do.” Adrian whispered into the side of Deran’s neck. 

_I do._. Deran realized in the near future he wanted to hear those words from Adrian again but he wanted it to be during a ceremony when they got hitched. Maybe in Belize with Craig and Frankie and Pope if he stopped making shitty comments around Adrian and Adrian’s sister and…

Deran was a goal-oriented kind of guy and he had a new goal: He needed to put as much into Adrian as he did The Drop, if not more, and then he’d follow through on the _I do_ idea.

There was obviously more work to do on things but at least Adrian still wanted to be with Deran. Still be a couple.

“We probably have more we should talk about but I’m pretty talked out right now. Let’s eat breakfast and then go back to bed.” It was a proposal, not the one Deran wanted to make, but it was a start.

Adrian gave him another squeeze before stepping back. His eyes were red the way they got when he teared up but he had that crooked smile on his face, the one Deran loved so much. “Yes, please.”

Not as exciting as _I do_ but Deran could work with it.

 

Finis

**Author's Note:**

> The hurt/comfort prompt for this one was exhaustion. I wanted to do another sci-fi fic with this prompt but it was going to require more time than I had so I opted for this brief one.
> 
> This fic is for the super talented, uber supportive Allthehearteyes who requested a HEA ending. You're the best <3
> 
> Thank you for reading.


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